NarutoXSakura
by HikazePrincess
Summary: After years of being friends, Naruto and Sakura finally become something more. Will it be everything they hoped for?
1. A Night to Remember

Maybe there was a reason Naruto invited Sakura to his apartment. Maybe there was a reason she said yes. But whatever reasons were not spoken as to why he asked or why she consented, all was made clear as the night progressed. But, I'm starting to get ahead of myself. I'll explain what happened and let you come up with the reasons.

It was hard to believe that the same goofy kid who had made his reputation as Konoha's Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja had grown and matured so much in nearly three years away from home. Sakura was relieved that he had outgrown the childish pranks he used to pull, but at the same time she missed the old Naruto who used to drive her crazy. Naruto looked up at her from where he sat on his bed. "Sakura, you look like you're about to say something." She smiled and blushed slightly, "Oh, it's nothing." But even as she said that, she knew it wasn't true. She'd have to say it sometime. So, now was a good a time as ever, she thought.

"Naruto," she said softly, "Thank you . . . for everything you've done for me. You've been more than helpful." Naruto's heart began to beat in a way it hadn't beat in years as Sakura sat next to him. She gave him a look that was almost pleading as she slowly moved closer. "I just wish there was something I could do to thank you." she whispered. By now, Naruto's heart was beating so loudly, he could hardly hear himself say, "You don't need to thank me. All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy." Sakura closed her eyes halfway and looked up at him through her eyelashes, which gave her a look of pure and angelic innocence. "You've done so much more than that," she said, this time slightly quieter than her previous whisper. At that moment, they both felt the same undeniable urge and leaned closer until their lips met in a way that could only be described as pure ecstasy. Naruto had been waiting for this moment ever since he first laid eyes on Sakura, but now that it had finally happened, he could hardly believe it. Sakura had never been more in love in her life. For even though she claimed she loved Sasuke, she had never once kissed him like she was kissing Naruto. Or at all, for that matter.

For both of them, this was a kiss of true love that seemed to have always been there between them, lying dormant for so many years. Without much thought as to what he was doing or even wanted to do, Naruto leaned back on the bed and Sakura leaned with him. It was love that powered their movements and it was love that clouded their minds, leaving room for nothing but thoughts of their new found love for each other. And this love now drove them to actions that words like "erotic" or "sensual" couldn't even begin to describe. Naruto felt his jacket slide off his shoulders and almost the second it fell to the floor, he wrapped his arms around Sakura like he had wanted to for years. The feeling of his skin against hers was so warm and comforting and certainly felt like it had been worth waiting for. No further words were spoken between them that night for there was nothing more to say.

The next morning, Naruto woke up slowly, the feelings of last night still fresh in his mind. As he opened his eyes, he looked at Sakura, still asleep on his shoulder, her skin gleaming beautifully in the early morning sunlight. Her breathing was slow and even and Naruto could feel her breath against his chest, tickling him like butterfly wings. She woke up as slowly as he had, rubbing her eyes and propping herself up one elbow. As she opened her eyes for the first time that day, she smiled as she looked down at him. "Good morning," she murmured as she kissed him lightly on the nose. "I had a great time last night," she said with a slight mischievous smile. That made Naruto laugh a little and say, "So did I. But to be honest, that's not why I invited you over. I didn't even expect you to stay." Sakura reached up and stroked his cheek. "Yeah? Well, I'm glad I did." She sat up, keeping the sheet wrapped tightly around her. "I can't believe I never gave you a chance when we were kids." Naruto sat up, too. "Who knows?" he said, "Maybe you knew there was something worth waiting for." She smiled and gave him a warm, good morning kiss.


	2. A Timely Engagement

Some answers are worth waiting for. And those that are not instigate different reactions in those waiting for them. In the case of Sakura Haruno, the answer was one where she wouldn't know how to react. Whether the answer boded ill or well, she wasn't prepared for it. She didn't know what she wanted the answer to be. She just wanted an answer. After a few more minutes, the answer came to her and her suspicions were confirmed: she was pregnant.

There was no cause for immediate alarm. She knew exactly who the father was. The very guy she had recently fallen in love with. The very guy that had sworn to protect her with his life. The same guy she had once found annoying: Naruto Uzumaki. As she knocked on the door of Naruto's apartment, she tried not to anticipate his reaction. She was nervous enough telling the man she loved that she was carrying his child. She didn't need to worry about how he'd take it. Naruto opened the door and invited her in, like nothing had changed since that night. The kiss he greeted her with was sweet and friendly, as if they were already married. "Naruto, there's something I need to tell you." she said as she sat down on the bed. Maybe it was the way she said it, but Naruto's expression grew worried and he sat next to her. "Sakura, you don't look so good. Could I get you something?" He started to get up, but she pulled him back down. "No, I don't need anything." She took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant."

Naruto didn't ask whose baby it was and she didn't tell him. It was as if he already knew. He looked down at Sakura's stomach. No evidence of pregnancy yet – not enough time for that – but he was still in awe that his child was there inside her. "You seem happy, Naruto." Sakura said, seeing the smile that was slowly creeping onto his face. "I am, Sakura. I just . . . I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad." Sakura copied Naruto's smile. "To be honest," she murmured, "I was a bit worried about how you'd react." Naruto looked up at her, his excited smile replaced by a puzzled gaze and asked, "Why is that?" Sakura looked away, as if embarrassed that she had brought it up. "Well . . . we're not married . . . and we're already having a baby." Naruto stood up and fished in his pocket. "That brings me to my next question." His childhood goofiness still showed now as he stuck his hands in each of his pockets until he found what he was looking for. It was a small and simplistic ring, but the feelings it conveyed were just as sweet. "Sakura," he began, more nervous than he'd ever been in his entire life, "Will you marry me?" Sakura was so surprised at this that she didn't answer right away, which gave Naruto more time to add to his proposal.

"I don't want you to answer because of the baby. I want you to answer for yourself. I don't want you to marry me because you feel that you need to. If you love me like you've said you do, let that be your reason. Sakura, I –" She stood and put her hand over his mouth. "Naruto . . . my pregnancy has nothing to do with my answer. Even if I wasn't pregnant, my answer would still be the same. Yes . . . I will marry you." Tears were spilling from her eyes. She tried to wipe them away, but they came quicker with each wipe. Naruto mistook the meaning for her tears. "Sakura, if we get married soon enough, no one has to know you're pregnant." "That's not it." she said. Naruto was confused, "Then why are you crying?" he asked. "I'm crying because I love you, you idiot." He smiled and tilted her chin up to look at him. "But I'm your idiot." Then he kissed her, as if to finalize their engagement.


	3. The Happiest Day of Her Life

If someone is asked to name the happiest day of their life, there is a good chance they will say their wedding day. And no one is said to look forward to that day more than the bride because it is her special day, her day to be the most beautiful woman around. Sakura was possibly the happiest bride in Konoha – the only bride in years, for that matter – because so many things would fall into place as the result of this marriage. This was the day she would marry the man of her dreams. After today, she would be known as "Sakura Uzumaki", something she never imagined she'd become. Also after today, the child she carried would be of legitimate birth. That was one thing that had prompted Naruto and Sakura to get married: the fact that they had conceived a child on the night of their first kiss. Naruto had planned on proposing anyway, but the baby had given them a reason to hurry and get married before Sakura's pregnancy became obvious.

In the bridal room, one floor beneath the observation deck of the Hokage's mansion, Sakura stood before a full-length mirror awestruck by the elegant simplicity that made her so radiant. She wore a pure white kimono bedecked with cherry blossoms sewn in a soft pink thread. The obi was deep red tied with a pink cord, which Sakura was adjusting to make sure her pregnancy stayed a secret – already, at four months, it was beginning to make itself known. As short as her hair was, it had been scented with lavender and had been put up as elegantly as was possible. Her hairstyle ported two burgundy-colored chopsticks and a comb modeled after the same cherry blossoms as her kimono, from which hung a white veil as thin and feather-light as a dragonfly's wing. Sakura gazed at her reflection, hardly daring to believe that in several minutes she would be a married woman.

A turn of a doorknob and a loud click that echoed through the otherwise silent room startled Sakura enough to turn and see Ino Yamanaka, her maid of honor, sticking her head into the room. "You ready, Sakura?" The bride took one last long look at her reflection and then nodded, leaving the room. In the hallway, Ino handed Sakura a bouquet of pink orchids tied by a maroon ribbon. Sakura's hands were trembling so much that she almost dropped the flowers. She was nervous, not because of the baby, but because of other reasons. One reason was the man she was marrying: Naruto. She had dreamed of this day, but in her fantasies her groom had always been Sasuke. In reality, the one who had once been the bane of her existence as a ninja was the love of her life. He was her groom. But as much as she dreamed of this day, she never expected to be pregnant at her own wedding.

Ino led her down the hall and up onto the observation deck where a Shinto shrine had been set up and the rest of the wedding party was waiting. Naruto was waiting at the shrine for Sakura and when he set eyes on her, his heart began pounding so furiously that no possible noise known to man could drown out its beating. Naruto thought that he had never seen anything so beautiful as Sakura was now. Naruto was also dressed in a traditional kimono, but his was of a more somber color. Once Sakura reached the shrine, she and Naruto joined hands and the ceremony began.

First, they were purified by a priest and given small cups of sake to drink. After that, they both took vows of commitment, promising to always love and be faithful to each other. An exchanging of rings, a wedding kiss and they were married.

The events of the reception party that followed were hardly remembered by either the bride or the groom. Whether from happiness that they were finally married or from some other cause, the party was a blur to both of them. That night at Naruto's apartment – where they would live until they could get another house – they sat on the bed gazing out the window. The magic of the moonlit night seemed to cast a dreaminess over the two of them so as to where they were half asleep in each other's arms. Naruto temporarily broke the spell and gazed down lovingly at his new bride. If he thought she was beautiful at the wedding, the glow of the full moon on her skin made her so much more ravishing and angelic. As he was thinking this, Sakura lifted her head and the newlyweds locked eyes. For a moment, neither one said a word. "Are you happy?" Naruto asked. Sakura's response began with a smile and continued when she said, "I am, Naruto. I'm very happy. I'm happy because I'm married to the man of my dreams and having his baby. I couldn't have wished for anything more." The fact that Sakura was happy gave Naruto such a surge of happiness that all he could do was kiss Sakura's cheek. As he started to move away, she grabbed him and pulled him close until she kissed him on the lips. Without even bothering to separate, they lay down on the bed to begin their first night as a married couple.


	4. Welcome to the World

Life is considered to be a wonderful and sometimes unusual thing. How it begins is a miracle. How it ends is often a mystery. But this is not a story of a life ending, but that of a life beginning. And this life begins with Sakura, in labor at Konoha hospital. Her husband, Naruto, was down the hall with some of their friends waiting for the birth of their child. This was the child that had been conceived prior to its parents' marriage and was about four months grown at the time of the wedding. Naruto told their friends that Sakura was pregnant at the wedding because they were afraid she had gone into labor too early. Many of them didn't care. It didn't matter to them what Naruto and Sakura had done before their marriage as long as they were married now that the baby was being born.

Naruto had known this day would come ever since he learned of Sakura's pregnancy, but still it caught him unawares. He anticipated this day and yet he now realized how nervous he was, waiting as Sakura labored to give birth to their child. He suddenly realized he knew nothing about being a father, since his own father had never been alive to teach him. He was unaware of the number of sleepless nights having a baby would bring or the number of things that had to be just right to take care of a baby. Then, other worries clogged his brain. What if child didn't like him? What if it didn't acknowledge him as its father? Even worse, what if Sakura died and he was left to care for the child by himself? All these things ran wildly through his head as he sat wringing his hands in anxiety.

Ino saw his nervousness and placed a hand on his knee. "Naruto, don't worry," she said smiling at him reassuringly, "I'm sure that everything will be all right." Naruto smiled back, wishing he could be as sure as Ino was. "I know you'll be a great father." Ino continued. "Ino is right, Naruto," said Lee, seated on the other side of the room, "You will do fine." Naruto looked around at his friends who were now smiling to reassure him. "Thanks, guys." he said.

The clicking sound of heels walking down the hall broke the silence that had settled over the friends. They all looked up to see Lady Tsunade walking towards them with a look on her face of nothing but pure happiness. Naruto stood as she came abreast of them and stopped. "Naruto," she began, "do you want to see your son?" So many feelings filled Naruto's heart as many of his worries ceased. "I have a son?" was all he could utter. Tsunade smiled and headed back down the hall. Naruto's legs were shaking so much that he barely wobbled as he followed Tsunade to Sakura's room. Ino and Lee came on either side to guide him, for he looked ready to collapse. When they reached Sakura's room, Naruto motioned for them to let go, feeling good enough to stand on his own. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he slid open the door and entered the room.

Sakura was sitting in bed holding the tiniest white bundle Naruto had ever seen. She looked happy, but at the same time she seemed breathless and tired. Her short pink hair was damp with sweat and plastered to her smiling face. She shone with maternal radiance and Naruto thought she had never looked happier or more beautiful. The soft mewing sound issuing from the bundle in Sakura's arms beckoned Naruto across the room to see the wonder the white blanket beheld. A tiny red face gazed up at him from the comfort of its mother's arms. It had a full head of blond hair and its blue eyes gleamed as it took in every detail of its father's face. Naruto was awestruck; it was like he was looking at a tiny version of himself. A miniature Naruto whose eyes wandered every which way as it sucked on its tiny thumb.

"Isn't he precious?" Sakura asked, adding to the aura of happiness that surrounded the family. Those were fewer words than Naruto could use to describe the beauty of his newborn son. "He's perfect," he murmured, feeling those were the right words. And yet, not even those words seemed enough. Naruto managed to take his gaze off his new son and look at his beautiful and glowing wife. "I love you," he told her, but that seemed a bit of an understatement. He didn't just love her. He adored her. He idolized her for helping him to create something so tiny, beautiful and precious.

Naruto's mind jumped back to the present as one final question settled in his mind. "What do you think we should name him?" he asked Sakura. She smiled and said, "I have one idea." She pulled him close and whispered in his ear. Naruto's eyes went wide with amazement at the name Sakura had chosen. "I think that's perfect," he said. He gave her a kiss on the lips and then they both gazed down lovingly at their son: Minato Uzumaki.

A few nights later, Naruto sat looking down at Minato, who was asleep in a small cradle beside their bed. If Naruto had thought his son was beautiful, he was even more so sound asleep. Sakura climbed onto the bed behind Naruto and wrapped her arms around him. "He is sweet, isn't he?" she murmured. Naruto smiled and placed a hand on Sakura's arm. "He is. I just can't believe he's really my son." "You nervous?" Sakura asked. Naruto leaned back to look at her face and placed his other hand on her cheek. "Not anymore," he answered. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it together. You, me, and our son. One happy family." Then, they kissed as if to seal this promise.


End file.
